Brian Schatz sworn in as US senator for Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) -- Incoming U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz was sworn into office Thursday afternoon, a day after being appointed by Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie and flying to Washington with President Barack Obama aboard Air Force One.

Schatz, who served as Hawaii's lieutenant governor under Abercrombie, took the oath of office on Capitol Hill.

The 40-year-old Schatz is a former state representative and onetime chairman of the state Democratic Party who ran Obama's 2008 campaign in Hawaii.

He said Wednesday that his top priorities would be addressing global climate change, preserving federal funds used in Hawaii for things like defense spending and transportation, and getting federal recognition for Native Hawaiians for forming their own government, similar to many Indian tribes.

Schatz beat out Hanabusa and Esther Kiaaina, a deputy director in the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The three candidates were selected by state Democrats Wednesday morning from a field of 14. The candidates briefly made their cases before the state party's central committee.

Schatz flew to Washington Wednesday night with Obama aboard Air Force One, who was returning from his Hawaii Christmas vacation early as Congress considers what to do about the so-called fiscal cliff.

Schatz will become Hawaii's senior senator. The state's other senator, Daniel Akaka, is retiring at the end of this Congress after 22 years and Democratic Rep. Mazie Hirono was elected in November to succeed him.

Inouye, by far Hawaii's most influential politician and one of the most respected lawmakers in Washington after serving five decades in the Senate, died last week of respiratory complications at the age of 88. He sent Abercrombie a hand-signed letter dated the day he died, saying he would like Hanabusa to succeed him, calling it his "last wish."

Four days after eulogizing Inouye in the courtyard of the Hawaii Capitol, Abercrombie said he had to consider more than just Inouye's wishes in filling his seat.

"Of course Sen. Inouye's views and his wishes were taken into account fully, but the charge of the central committee, and by extension then myself as governor, was to act in the best interests of the party ... the state and the nation," Abercrombie said.

Under state law, the successor had to come from the same party as the prior incumbent. An Abercrombie spokeswoman said the governor did not feel any political pressure from within his party to make the choice he made.

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